NEW YORK -- "As of Tuesday, 98 percent of the 47 million households that had failed to return their census questionnaires had been contacted by a census worker.... Despite fears of hostility toward the federal government, incidents involving census workers have been relatively few. Since April, in the course of knocking on 47 million doors an average of two times, the bureau has logged 430 on-the-job incidents against enumerators, including 13 cases where shots were fired (one man was killed in Baltimore) and 139 cases where a weapon was pulled. Ten workers were robbed, one was bitten by a duck and another by a rooster.... Baltimore, Cleveland, Pittsburgh and Buffalo registered declines, but Los Angeles; Chicago; Philadelphia; San Francisco; Indianapolis; Columbus, Ohio; Boston; and Washington recorded gains. New York City grew by 45,000 people to 8,391,881, a growth rate of only 0.5 percent, but the largest one-year numerical gain of any city in the country," Sam Roberts, The New York Times. Jun 23: 'Double dip' legislation possible Senate leader: Pension plans require action
COLUMBUS -- "While Democrats are treading lightly on the issue, Senate President Bill M. Harris said yesterday that the current state public-employee pension system is 'not sustainable' and will require legislative action.... The report highlighted that the pension system encourages educators, particularly superintendents, to retire in their mid-50s and then get rehired for the same job, allowing them to collect both a paycheck and a pension at the same time.
The practice, known as 'double dipping,' faces increased scrutiny as the State Teachers Retirement System, like many of the state's public pensions, is looking for a taxpayer bailout to remain solvent. The STRS fund now faces $40billion in unfunded liabilities," James Nash & Mark Niquette, Columbus Dispatch. Jun 22: Eleven more candidates file for inaugural Cuyahoga County council
CLEVELAND -- "Eleven more candidates have popped into the derby for the inaugural Cuyahoga County Council.
That makes 80 people -- Democrats, Republicans, an independent and a Green Party candidate -- jostling for 11 part-time positions paying $45,000 a year.... The filing deadline for the partisan candidates is Thursday. After September primaries, the top Democrat and top Republican in each district will face any independents in the November general election.
The council, like the new county executive, was created by a charter that voters overwhelmingly approved in November. Members will oversee county finances, as well as executive appointments," Laura Johnston, Cleveland Plain Dealer. Jun 21: Pensions lobby has power at Statehouse
COLUMBUS -- "Ohio's five public pension systems have more than $2 million each year to influence those who write laws affecting their bottom lines.... A number of associations and nonprofits representing retirees affected by the various pension funds also have been created to influence legislation and, in some cases, to elect their own representatives to the pension boards.
For example, the Police & Fire Retirees of Ohio's political action committee has contributed $11,400 so far this year to legislative candidates, including $300 to Rep. Todd Book, D-McDermott, who chairs the Ohio Retirement Oversight Council, and $550 to council member Rep. Lynn Wachtmann, R-Napoleon," Jim Provance, The Columbus Dispatch. Jun 21: Justices popping up on Facebook
COLUMBUS -- "Chief Justice Eric Brown is the friendliest of the Ohio Supreme Court's seven justices, at least judging by the number of "friends" on Facebook. But Brown isn't alone among justices who have profiles on the popular social-networking site.
Brown's Facebook profile now lists more than 4,000 friends. The chief justice, whom Gov. Ted Strickland appointed in April, said he's careful to avoid the appearance of any bias involving a Facebook "friend."
At least four other justices, including Brown's Republican opponent in the November election for chief justice, have some presence on Facebook, according to research by the Ohio Democratic Party. Chairman Chris Redfern said The Dispatch had unfairly singled out Brown in a May 24 story about his social-networking habits," James Nash, The Columbus Dispatch. Jun 21: Election deadline changes to accommodate military voters
MARION -- "A change in Ohio's election laws means candidate petitions and all local tax levies and ballot issues, including local liquor option petitions, now must be filed with the Marion County Board of Elections by 4 p.m. Aug. 4.
The change is a result of the passage of House Bill 48, which takes effect on July 2 and incorporates the provision of the federal Military and Overseas Voter Empowerment Act into law.
The MOVE bill is designed to make it easier for military personnel serving overseas to vote. The deadline to file issues was moved to 90 days before the election, instead of 75 days, so that military and overseas voters have a better chance of getting their ballots to elections officials on time," Marion Star. Jun 19: Editorial: Backward on bioscience
COLUMBUS -- "Before the Ohio Senate went home for the summer, it approved a bill that would ban the cross-breeding of animals and humans.
It's good to know that the Senate - which couldn't be bothered to act on legislation dealing with such trivia as home foreclosures, payday-lending abuses, or political redistricting - has its priorities straight.... At the risk of taking this legislation more seriously than it deserves, you might ask whether Ohio wants to acquire the reputation of a state that discourages scientific innovation by enacting regulations on the basis of bizarre hypotheticals. Would leaders of genuine biomedical ventures, such as stem-cell research and organ-transplant development, be comfortable working in such a state?," Associated Press. Jun 18: Ohio GOP challenges top justice over campaign call
COLUMBUS -- "The Ohio Republican Party has filed a complaint against state Supreme Court Chief Justice Eric Brown, alleging the Democrat violated campaign fundraising laws.
Under Ohio law, judicial candidates cannot directly ask for or receive campaign contributions.
In an audio recording released by the GOP, Brown is heard calling a supporter to attend a $1,000-a-head event at a Columbus nightclub on May 14," Associated Press. Jun 18: Kasich leads among smallest donors 80% of his donations were $100 or less
COLUMBUS -- "While Kasich has received nearly 10,800 contributions of $25 or less since he started fundraising in May 2009, Strickland has gotten 630 gifts of that size during the same period, a Dispatch computer analysis of state campaign-finance reports shows.
In fact, the study shows that 80 percent of Kasich's contributions were $100 or less, compared with 37 percent for Strickland. And Kasich got nearly 31/2 times as many contributions as Strickland did during the same period.
But Strickland's campaign says the gap is misleading because Kasich is spending thousands of dollars on consultants to solicit contributions and still has not been able to overcome the governor's $2 million lead in cash on hand - even though the governor's campaign shelled out several hundred thousand dollars for its first TV ad," Mark Niquette, The Columbus Dispatch.
COLUMBUS -- "A low-key race for state treasurer is heating up with allegations of corruption and cronyism fired off by both campaigns.
The fiercest accusations have been directed at Democratic Treasurer Kevin L. Boyce by his Republican challenger, state Rep. Josh Mandel of Lyndhurst.
In a press release and on his campaign website, Mandel has accused Boyce of 'cronyism and corruption' because he awarded a low-bid state investment contract to a Boston firm whose lobbyist is a friend of Amer Ahmad, deputy treasurer and chief financial officer in Boyce's office," Alan Johnson, The Columbus Dispatch. Jun 17: NRA Exemption Added to Disclosure Bill in Congress
WASHINGTON DC -- "A political compromise would exempt the National Rifle Association from legislation in Congress requiring corporations to identify themselves in political ads they pay for, and to disclose their expenditures to shareholders and the public. The proposed carve-out for the NRA led the U.S. Public Interest Research Group to withdraw support for the bill, which was moving closer to consideration in the full House of Representatives. Nan Aron, president of the Alliance for Justice, staked out opposition to the bill, the Associated Press reported.... The House bill and a Senate version were drafted to soften the impact of the Supreme Court’s January ruling in Citizens United," Peter Hardin, GavelGrab.
UNIVERSITY HEIGHTS -- "Cuyahoga County Democrats launched a new political era Wednesday night, officially closing out Jimmy Dimora's 16-year tenure as the colorful and controversial face of the party.
As expected, trial lawyer Stuart Garson of Moreland Hills – who was handpicked by top elected Democrats -- was elected new party chairman by unanimous consent of elected party members.
Garson pledged to reshape the party's internal operations and rebuild its image, which has been tainted by a massive federal public corruption probe focused largely on Democratic office holders," Mark Naymik, Cleveland Plain Dealer. Jun 16: Editorial: Husted isn’t out of ideas or leverage
COLUMBUS -- "If you put enough Democratic voters, for instance, in a district, a Democrat will almost invariably win; ditto for Republicans. This practice at its most egregious has a name: gerrymandering.... In short, letting the politicians choose their voters is a threat to good government and to the success of democracy, which is built on give and take. It fosters political divisiveness, and it marginalizes centrists (who often are more in line with voters than the ideologues on both sides).... There’s a possibility the legislature could come back to vote on a compromise this month or next. Lawmakers have to act quickly, though, because they only have until Aug. 4 to get a proposal on the ballot in November. If there’s no vote this year, nothing will happen for another decade, until the next Census," Dayton Daily News.
CLEVELAND -- "Less than two weeks before the filing deadline, another nine aspiring Cuyahoga County council members have jumped into the packed pool of candidates.
That makes 50 Democrats, 18 Republicans and on independent competing in September primaries for 11 seats on the inaugural council, which was created by a county charter voters approved last November. About twice that number have pulled petitions, according to a list from the county elections board," Laura Johnston & Henry J. Gomez, Cleveland Plain Dealer. Jun 14: Political scofflaws hold out on fines
COLUMBUS -- "In the year since the state announced a crackdown on political candidates who together owed more than $30 million in unpaid fines, state officials recovered less than $15,000 and the amount of unpaid debt actually grew.
Former candidates and election committees now owe the state
$33.2 million in unpaid fines for violations such as tardy filings of campaign-finance statements, knowingly making false statements in advertisements, misuse of campaign funds and disguising the source of campaign contributions.... 'The fines are important because they are the penalties that keep campaigns and candidates accountable,' said Catherine Turcer of Ohio Citizen Action. 'If they're not paying the fines, it's not even a slap on the wrist,'" James Nash, The Columbus Dispatch. Jun 14: Joe Hallett commentary: Redistricting reform falls victim again to dreams of power
COLUMBUS -- "People's problems go unsolved. The economic and social well-being of Ohio declines with torturous drip-drip-drip predictability.
Despite the best efforts of officials such as Sen. Jon Husted, R-Kettering, and Peg Rosenfield, head of election reform for the League of Women Voters of Ohio, another opportunity has been lost to change the way Ohio draws new districts every 10 years for its members of the Ohio House and Senate.... 'Republicans go to the right and Democrats to the left, and we get a very polarized legislature and Congress because the people in the middle can't win anymore, and they are absolutely critical if you're going to have a functional legislature,' Rosenfield said. 'Why would you compromise if your opponents (in a primary) are going to beat you over the head with it?,'" Joe Hallett, The Columbus Dispatch. Jun 11: Editorial: Friends of politics as usual Why the Statehouse killed electoral reform
COLUMBUS -- "Let's start with the fate of proposed constitutional amendments to change the way districts are drawn, which happens once a decade, after the census.... Both proposals [Senate Joint Resolution 5 & House Joint Resolution 15] would have led to the creation of fairer, more competitive districts, although [Representative Tom] Letson's [D-64] amendment would have kept congressional districts in the the hands of the legislature. Nobody stood up to argue against fairness and competition.
But the truth is, the partisan gerrymandering that will take place after the 2010 census unless new rules are adopted will end up creating safe districts for both sides," Steve Hoffman, Akron Beacon Journal. Jun 10: Ohio lawmakers say they're ready to pick up the pace on budget work
COLUMBUS -- "'Clearly, politics is taking priority over doing the work of the people,' said Catherine Turcer, of the government watchdog group Ohio Citizen Action. 'At some point, it's as if they are a student council rather than our government.'
Turcer said the 11 months of delaying and bickering show how dysfunctional the Ohio legislature has become.
'The people deserve to have the legislators do their jobs,' she said. 'And that you would literally have to pass a bill or an amendment to get them to address these important budgetary concerns is amazing to me. It just shows how broken down they are,'" Aaron Marshall, Cleveland Plain Dealer. Jun 10: NAACP LDF releases report concerning redistricting reform measures
WASHINGTON DC -- "The report provides an overview of independent redistricting commissions and examines their potential impact on minority voting rights. The report notes that our nation’s unfortunate history of persistent and adaptive racial discrimination in the electoral process demands a careful examination of independent redistricting commissions and all redistricting reform proposals.
With the next redistricting cycle quickly approaching, LDF encourages vigilance in monitoring any late efforts to change the rules that will govern the way in which redistricting plans are drawn," NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc.
COLUMBUS -- "Tom Noe's hopes of getting out of prison any time soon were dashed Wednesday when the Ohio Supreme Court opted not to hear his appeal of his theft and corruption convictions.... Noe is serving his second year of an 18-year sentence for his 2006 jury conviction on 29 charges of corruption, theft, money laundering, and tampering with records. The Toledo-based 6th District Court of Appeals upheld his convictions on Dec. 31, and Wednesday's high-court ruling leaves that decision intact.... With Noe's political connections stretching from the Governor's residence to the White House, the scandal was credited as one reason that Ohio voters swept Republicans from every statewide elected office save one a year later," Jim Provance, Toledo Blade.
COLUMBUS -- "One thing is certain: McFaul cannot return the money to campaign donors.... Ohio law states that officeholders can only donate the money to political parties, politicians or charities - even charities they establish and run themselves.
McFaul's fund, which currently has $116,000, will grow by $60,000 in the coming months," Mark Puente, Cleveland Plain Dealer. Jun 9: Editorial: Much work left undone
COLUMBUS -- State lawmakers stuck around long enough last week to choose Ohio's official frog. They even hung in until about 4 a.m. last Friday to complete industry-friendly rules for the four casinos voters approved last November. But they couldn't find time to deal with other important issues before they took off on summer vacation.... Attempts to overhaul the state's highly partisan procedure for redrawing state legislative districts is as good as dead. Senators couldn't agree either to give mapmaking power to a committee that would ensure minority-party support or to hold a public competition to find a plan that met requirements for compactness and competition. Now, the only way to get the issue on the November ballot would be for lawmakers to reconvene early and vote before Aug. 4.... They did, however, pass a measure to make the spotted salamander the state amphibian and the bullfrog the state frog. The compromise ended a raging controversy over which amphibian would be honored by the state," Toledo Blade. Jun 9: Editorial: Other viewpoints
COLUMBUS -- Marathon sessions ground to a halt Friday without agreement between the Ohio House and Senate on a plan to blunt the raw politics that influences the redrawing of legislative and congressional districts every 10 years. Without change, the risk is yet another decade when legislators who move toward the center, seeking compromise, find themselves at risk in skewed districts. The hyperpartisan line-drawing makes more difficult acting on complex issues and moving the state forward....
A pathway to the November ballot still exists. Jon Husted, a Republican state senator and candidate for Ohio secretary of state, remains willing to combine his plan, calling for the creation of a bipartisan commission, with the House approach, driven by Democrat Tom Letson. Letson would rely on a public competition, scored according to standards for political balance, competitiveness, compactness and preservation of communities.
If an agreement can be reached, the full House and Senate should return to the Statehouse to place an amendment on the November ballot, giving voters the chance to enact reforms before 2010 census figures arrive. Husted has in mind a hybrid system that would place the final decision in the hands of a seven-member, bipartisan commission, with a five-vote super-majority required to adopt a map. In that way, Letson's competition would drive the process initially, with the commission providing the necessary flexibility and judgment at the end," The Columbus Dispatch. Jun 9: Editorial: Election defeat
COLUMBUS -- After votes were tallied in 2008, much effort was aimed at finding ways to improve Ohio elections. Jennifer Brunner, the secretary of state, pulled together panel discussions. The House and Senate passed bills addressing significant problems. In the final weeks before the legislature recessed for the summer, discussions continued, with room for compromise in time for balloting this fall.
Sadly, adjournment came last week with no action. Last-minute negotiations brought together officials from legislative caucuses, Brunner's office, the League of Women Voters and the Ohio Association of Election Officials. These key players came close to an agreement that would ease access to the ballot for many voters and reduce the likelihood of confidence-sapping lawsuits in close elections," Akron Beacon Journal. Jun 9: Who bankrolls Congress? The big money behind top lawmakers
WASHINGTON DC -- California Assembly Speaker Jesse M. Unruh once famously said of moneyed political interests: 'If you can't take their money, drink their booze, eat their food, screw their women, and vote against them, you don't belong here.' In other words, giving cash to politicians is no guarantee they’ll carry your water. But campaign contributions to elected officials don’t hurt either. The links between money and votes is an endlessly debated subject in official Washington. Cynics say campaign cash often buys support. Others claim that examining who opened their wallets most for a politician is simply an indication of who those backers think best advocates their agenda. Either way, though, following the money is often illuminating," Josh Israel and Aaron Mehta, The Center for Public Integrity. Jun 8: Column: Judges often choose among conflicting constitutional values
WASHINGTON DC -- In a remarkable speech that received far too little attention, former Supreme Court Justice David Souter took direct aim at the conservatives' favorite theory of judging.
At issue is 'originalism,' an approach to reading the Constitution whose seeming precision has given conservatives a polemical advantage over the liberals' 'living Constitution' idea that appears to let judges say our founding document means whatever they want it to mean.
Justice Antonin Scalia, the court's leading orginalist, summarized his opponents' attitude toward the Constitution with four words: 'You know, it morphs,'" E.J Dionne, The Columbus Dispatch. Jun 8: Ohio Supreme Court clarifies rules on 'John Doe' lawsuits
COLUMBUS -- While Ohio law allows plaintiffs to file 'placeholder' lawsuits with nameless defendants such as the Does, the court last month ruled that the actual names of those targets must be known before the two-year statute of limitation expires in civil cases.
Some observers had believed that court rules allowed suits with fictitious names and gave the person who brought the complaint up to a year -- even if that extended beyond the statute of limitations -- to come up with actual names of their targeted defendants.
In a 5-to-1 ruling, the court said that interpretation of Ohio Civil Rule 15 is wrong," Reginald Fields, Cleveland Plain Dealer. Jun 7: Plan to change how Ohio's legislative districts are drawn shelved Ohio legislators have left Columbus until August for summer break
COLUMBUS -- Ohio lawmakers have started their summer break after passing a last-minute crush of bills. But one proposal didn't pass - a plan to allow Ohio voters to decide how legislative districts are drawn. Groups who pushed for changes are disappointed. Ohio Citizen Action's Catherine Turcer looks at the situation this way....
Turcer says she really thought a plan to allow voters to approve redistricting could have passed this year because the political landscape is not firmly skewed in one party's favor. And she says her group will not give up on the idea," Jo Ingles, WKSU. Jun 7: Lawmakers whiff on redistricting reform; will they try again?
COLUMBUS -- [Ohio lawmakers] whiffed on a chance to put an issue on the Nov. 2 ballot to abolish the winner-take-all, politically charged system of drawing state legislative districts and replacing it with something fair, competitive and that just might provide better, more responsive government.... '[Senator Jon Husted] caught the fever,' said Catherine Turcer, director of the Money in Politics Project for Ohio Citizen Action and long-time reform booster.
The current system, in Husted’s words, lets the politicians pick their voters when it’s the voters who should be picking legislators," William Hershey, Dayton Daily News.
Among the bills that didn't pass the late-night legislature - redistricting reform Ohio lawmakers have started their summer break after passing a wide variety of bills in the last couple of days before they left. But there's one proposal they didn't pass - a plan that would allow Ohio voters to decide how legislative districts are drawn. Groups that were pushing for changes in re-districting are disappointed. Ohio Citizen Action's Catherine Turcer looks at the situation this way.
Turcer says she really thought a plan to allow voters to approve constitutional changes for redistricting could have passed this year because the political landscape is not firmly skewed in one party's favor. And while she says she's disappointed, she says her group will not give up on the idea. After all, she says it took women one hundred years to get the right to vote. Statehouse News Bureau Jun 7: Joe Hallett commentary: Statehouse's players could learn from 'imperfect game'
COLUMBUS -- No matter how embarrassing the moment or difficult the situation, doing the right thing always pays off.
And yet, in politics the right thing often seems so difficult to do, because it can require compromise, abandonment of partisan advantage, subjugation of ideology and admissions of fallibility.... And that whole episode pales in comparison to the ongoing ineptness of the politicians taking up space in the Ohio House and Senate. Rarely have we seen such pettiness and lack of leadership from both parties get in the way of dealing with so many important issues. Working until 4 a.m. Friday, lawmakers spent too much time considering whether to designate the spotted salamander or the bullfrog Ohio's official state amphibian and too little time coming to terms on desperately needed legislation to redistrict the state for elections," Joe Hallett, The Columbus Dispatch. Jun 7: Cuyahoga County spent $1.3 million more than budgeted on companies linked to contractor tied to corruption probe
CUYAHOGA COUNTY-- A secretly taped conversation between Cuyahoga County Auditor Frank Russo and Commissioner Jimmy Dimora presents a jaw-dropping playbook on how to cheat the county's competitive-bidding system.
The two powerful Democrats, targets of a widespread federal investigation of government corruption, discussed the best way they could help contractors hoping to land public projects. And they agreed that, despite their efforts, some contractors were tough to coach.... 'This is our money, and when we spend more for remodeling our kitchen, we ask all sorts of questions,' said Catherine Turcer of the Ohio Citizen Action group. 'And we don't want to pay that money. We try to bargain, we try to better understand why exactly. Things are going to come up. But we really need our government officials to be watching every last dime,'" Henry J. Gomez, Cleveland Plain Dealer. Jun 4: Ohio lawmakers fail to pass redistricting bill
COLUMBUS -- Lawmakers have failed to pass a plan to create a bipartisan board to draw Ohio’s future legislative and congressional districts.
The General Assembly was unable to overcome differences in proposed bills updating how Ohio draws its political maps in a rush to finish business overnight Thursday.
GOP State Sen. Jon Husted (HYOO’-sted), the top proponent of redistricting, pledges to keep working on an agreement before an August deadline for placing the issue on the November ballot," Associated Press.
COLUMBUS -- Last week saw a flurry of bills coming up for action in Columbus because legislators wanted to adjourn for summer. A check on Friday to see what had happened on Thursday proved interesting. Specifically, it provided an insight into how certain issues become full-employment opportunities for politicians playing to interest groups.... In the category of issues that never go away, there was also campaign finance. But that one made some sense.
The U.S. Supreme Court has dramatically changed the rules about corporate contributions in political campaigns, allowing more leeway. That moved some legislators to enact rules in Ohio about what form of disclosure the corporations must do. Fine," Dayton Daily News. Jun 3: Rep. Marcia Fudge drafts bill to restrict ethics office that investigated her top aide
WASHINGTON DC -- U.S. Rep. Marcia Fudge has introduced legislation that would weaken a congressional ethics office that found her top aide improperly helped Congressional Black Caucus members take a free Caribbean trip that was funded by corporations. The Warrensville Heights Democrat introduced legislation Friday to restrict disclosure of investigations by the Office of Congressional Ethics and require it to have a sworn complaint from a citizen with personal knowledge of alleged wrongdoing before initiating a probe," Sabrina Eaton, Cleveland Plain Dealer. Jun 2: Editorial: Ex-Sheriff McFaul's debt to the public of Cuyahoga County must be paid
CLEVELAND -- And on Tuesday, the ex-sheriff and pipe-fitter -- who cultivated a savvy, salt-of-the-earth, straight-talking image in four decades in office -- became the first prominent Cuyahoga County politician in the string of recent probes to face felony charges. He pleaded not guilty to two felony theft counts and a misdemeanor ethics charge, but those were only the preliminaries.
McFaul, who had cited poor health when he resigned under fire in March 2009, plans to plead guilty on Thursday, according to his attorney. He faces probation or up to 10 years in prison.
McFaul fell victim to his own arrogance when, in January 2009, he laid off 18 deputies, but promoted three people: a good friend, the best man at his son's wedding and a niece," Cleveland Plain Dealer. Jun 2: Ballot issues can influence races Depending on the topic, issues can lure certain voters to the polls
COLUMBUS -- Depending on the efforts by groups scrambling to collect petition signatures, Ohio voters could face up to five statewide ballot issues in the fall that also could affect the outcome of races for governor and other offices.... But three groups seeking proposed Ohio constitutional amendments each face a June 30 deadline to turn in 402,275 valid signatures of registered voters, and the legislature has until Aug. 4 to put a proposed redistricting issue on the ballot.... Meanwhile, the state House and Senate still must agree on a compromise on the redistricting issue, which would change how legislative boundaries are redrawn after each U.S. Census. And the fates of two other proposed issues are unclear," Mark Niquette & Alan Johnson The Columbus Dispatch. Jun 1: Editorial: At the finish line A burst of bipartisanship, and Ohio would draw improved districts
COLUMBUS -- There is still time, barely, to fix the ways legislative and congressional districts are drawn in Ohio, highly partisan processes that happen once a decade, following each census. If lawmakers act quickly, they can meet an Aug. 4 deadline for placing a constitutional amendment on the November ballot. Voter approval would put new rules in place for the next round of adjustments.
On Thursday, the House took the encouraging step of passing a long-stalled bill by state Rep. Tom Letson. The Warren Democrat's plan would affect only the redrawing of legislative districts and maintain the current apportionment board, made up of the governor, auditor, secretary of state and a legislative member from each party.
To counter the inevitable scheming by the party that wins two of the three statewide offices, Letson would open a public competition, scoring plans on compactness, partisan balance, competitiveness and preservation of city boundaries," Akron Beacon Journal.
COLUMBUS -- Reform is necessary because political parties can stack the deck in ways that all but prevent lawmakers from having to compete for their jobs. Some districts are drawn so they’re always won by Republicans, no matter what; others are drawn so they’re safe for Democrats.
Sixty votes were needed to approve putting the plan on the November ballot.
A different reform proposal had already passed the Senate. Now the Legislature has to get very busy about finding a compromise," Dayton Daily News.
COLUMBUS -- In what could be a rare display this year of bi-partisanship related a politically charged issue that will have direct consequences over which major political party wields power in the legislature in Columbus, some Republican House reps broke party ranks last week to vote for a Democratic bill on apportioning the state for General Assembly districts, a bill some said they didn't like but would nonetheless support, all because they hope a political logjam can be broken that could lead to a brokered deal with a Senate bill on the same subject they say Ohioans want because it will elections fairer and more transparent.
The measure in question, HJR 15, sponsored by Democrats Tom Letson of Warren and Jennifer Garrison of Marietta, passed 69-28 with the help of 17 Republicans, some of whom expressed their strong concerns in comments made from the floor.
Letson said the measure would take the politics out of the reapportionment process, that has given the political party that controls the three key seats on the state apportionment board - governor, auditor, and secretary of state - the opportunity to draw district lines to favor their party. He said HJR 15 would make districts competitive and 'unarguably fairer for citizens, who would be reassured that their officials will represent them.' With support from newspapers to citizen interest groups like Ohio Citizen Action and the Ohio League of Women Voters, Letson said the transparency and public competition built into the measure will help elections be better," John Michael Spinelli, Examiner.com.
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Articles and editorials on redistricting reform from 2005 to now
